Zenless Zone Zero: I'am a Dullahan!

Zhu Yuan's question went unanswered. It wasn't the right time to ask directly, so she could only keep it to herself.

"Zhu Yuan, want to have a match with Zane?"

Qingyi walked up to her, smiling gently as she asked. Practicing alone could only do so much. Since she'd trained Zhu Yuan before, a spar between them might prove beneficial for both.

"Huh? Is that even okay?"

Zhu Yuan glanced at herself, raising an eyebrow. Remembering the earlier fight between Zane and Qingyi, she felt she'd probably get wrecked...

When it came to weapons, nothing beat a gun.

"Zhu Yuan, you're probably pretty worn out right now, right? Let's wait until you can go all out before sparring."

Zane waved his hand dismissively.

"My little disciple's pretty chivalrous and fair, huh? But honestly, even if Zhu Yuan wasn't at full strength, I doubt you could beat her."

Qingyi gave a small, teasing smile.

Zane shrugged helplessly.

"Senior, it's not like I'm invincible anymore, and with the limitations you set for training…"

"If Zhu Yuan's using a gun, how am I supposed to win?"

Sure, his body had been enhanced, but it only improved his recovery and some physical attributes—not like he turned into Superman. He could still use Ether energy, of course, and with that, even heavy firepower wouldn't faze him. But strip that away, and a volley of bullets would still tear him apart.

"Come on, if you two are sparring, of course it'll be hand-to-hand."

Qingyi waved it off. She knew exactly what Zane was getting at.

"Senior, let's not do this now. It's not the right time—and besides, you once said that going all out is the proper way to respect your opponent."

Zhu Yuan removed her gloves and unstrapped the bands on her wrists, smiling softly.

Qingyi nodded in agreement. Since it was Zane and Zhu Yuan, their wishes took priority.

With training over, Zhu Yuan went off to wash up—she was drenched in sweat. Zane, thanks to his unique physiology, didn't have that issue. As for Qingyi...

Seeing the three of them heading for the exit, Seth—still wearing his black cat helmet—stood up as if to approach, but suddenly thought better of it and veered away.

Better not get close to Commander Zhu Yuan with that little black cat in tow. She might "flare up" like she did the first time.

...

Inside the Criminal Investigation Special Task Force office.

"You said Yano? Which Yano?"

Qingyi sat cross-legged in a chair, one pale leg resting atop the other. Her small hand was under her chin in thought.

Well, "thought"—she was actually scanning the database.

"He told me he's a Ghost Hunter."

Zane described the most identifiable detail, then added as he recalled the moment,

"A former Ghost Hunter."

"A former Ghost Hunter…"

Qingyi frowned as a figure came to mind.

"You mean Yano?!"

Her expression sharpened. She stared intently at Zane and asked seriously,

"Why did you bring him up? Did you come into contact with him? Was there a confrontation? Are you hurt?"

Her concern was clear. She quickly scanned Zane from head to toe, letting out a faint sigh of relief—he didn't seem injured.

Their earlier sparring session hadn't shown anything unusual either.

"Yeah. Remember the Hollows I showed you earlier? One of them is the Lamia Hollow. As for what happened with the Lamia Hollow, you probably already know…"

Zane nodded as he spoke.

"Lamia... I'm not entirely sure."

Hearing that, Qingyi recalled something about the Lamia Hollow. Zhu Yuan had briefly mentioned it that morning, but the case wasn't under the Janus District Security Bureau's jurisdiction.

Instead, it had been handed off to the local Defense Forces and the White Star Institute. The Public Security Bureau hadn't been involved at all.

Zane raised an eyebrow. Qingyi's intel-gathering abilities were top-notch. If she didn't know more, that meant the incident had been completely locked down—there wasn't even a whisper of it online.

That experimental Sacrificial Ghost must be more important than he'd thought.

Zane went on to recount everything that had happened inside the Hollow, not hiding a single detail. Ever since he left the Cretan Hollow, Qingyi had become the person he trusted most.

"You fought Yano? Damn... I don't know if that's fate or just one hell of a coincidence…"

Qingyi sighed and began explaining what she knew about Yano.

"Zane, Yano isn't one of New Eridu's Ghost Hunters. He was the last of them from the Old Capital. Because of his unique nature, he's probably... close to 300 years old by now."

"He spent over 200 years doing classified work and only took on the Ghost Hunter title near the end of the Old Capital's days. But not long after that, the disaster struck…"

"After the fall of the Old Capital, he disappeared without a trace. When he resurfaced, he was already listed as an enemy, and he caused serious damage to the defensive lines within Hollow Zero."

"He got placed on New Eridu's red notice list—like the one you were on before—and fled the city. He's been operating in the outer ring and beyond ever since, always under tight surveillance."

"As a former Ghost Hunter, his combat capabilities are undeniable. But there's something else about him that you really need to watch out for."

Qingyi narrowed her eyes at Zane, frowning.

"As a half-machine, half-organic being, his battle experience and technique are on par with me—a high-level Advanced Automaton. And more importantly, his physical resilience and offensive power…"

She didn't finish, but Zane understood well enough.

Basically, he was up against a maxed-out Qingyi.

"Zane, he might not be the strongest Ghost Hunter when it comes to fighting Ethereals, but you're the exception. You're a humanoid Ethereal with human consciousness…"

"You two are natural-born enemies."

"Nope—I've gotta step up your training!"

Qingyi slammed her hand on the desk and stood up, startling the little black cat chatting with Seth in "cat language" nearby.

"Senior, no need to rush…"

Zane scratched his cheek awkwardly and spoke softly.

Based on Qingyi's description, Yano sounded tough—but nothing unmanageable.

Sure, he was a humanoid Ethereal, but that didn't mean Zane had to fight like one. Everything he'd learned from Qingyi was just a trump card for emergencies.

In reality, he preferred using brute force and Ether-powered firepower for overwhelming attacks—no different from any regular Ethereal.

Which was why, back in the Lamia Hollow, Yano hadn't gotten the upper hand. He'd ultimately retreated on his own.

"You sound pretty confident."

Qingyi raised an eyebrow. Seeing Zane's calmness reassured her somewhat—but she wasn't going to skip the extra training.

"Yano's unpredictable. There's a good chance he's got other people working with him too, so stay alert."

"He's not your only enemy."